Alice Walker's Solutions to Violence against Women in "The Color Purple"

Although "The Color Purple" by Alice Walker mainly focuses on the experiences of African-American women in the southern United States in the early 20th century, it also offers insights that can be applied to the larger global issue of violence against women. In this novel, Walker describes various kinds of violence that women had to endure like physical, sexual, psychological and emotional. We witness the transition and development of Celie through a healing process. She was sexually abused by her stepfather, also emotionally abused by Albert and the stepfather who sold the kids that were born as a result of her sexual abuse, she was psychologically abused in a patriarchal society that constantly told her that she was inferior both as a result of her gender and her race. This is a systematic abuse and violence that the patriarchal system perpetuates and has a destructive effect on the women who are the victim of the society. But the novel is very important in terms of offering crucial ways to overcome violence.

First of them is challenging patriarchy and gender roles. We especially see how liberating this is in the character of Shug Avery who is the blues singer that protects Celie from her husband’s abuse, awakens and empowers her although she is the mistress of Celie’s husband, Albert. She is a very inspiring character in terms of her being an independent, strong woman who stands up herself and other women around her. She represents sexual liberation and she acts however she wants with men. She speaks out when someone acts or speaks in a way that she doesn’t support. She even stands up to Albert’s father when he visits. She calls Mr… (Ceile mentions Albert as Mr … in the letters that she writes to God) Albert which is quite shocking for Celie, they go to same bed, Shug comes with a different man later and she also experiences a sexual relationship with Celie. She is a character which is really outside of the gender roles. She resists the sociteal norms of gender. In this sense, resistance and female empoverment becomes important. She opposes the male dominated society and in return, men can not behave her as they behave to Celie who at first just accepts her faith but later resist gradually to this systematic abuse. Celie needed Shag character to teach her to stand up for her rights. At the beginning, Celie had only god to confide but when Shag came and Celie saw a woman raised her voice over things that she thinks unacceptable, she became a role model for her and she also gained voice & improved herself and even her grammar got better throughout the novel. Sofia was also another character that stands up for her rights, she resists and fights back when Harpo tries to beat her up. She also speaks up when mayor and his wife, which are upper class, white people, say things that are not appropriate. The novel encourages women to stand up against violence and challenge the norms and roles.

Another very important thing that can be a solution is sisterhood and also having a supportive community. At the beginning of the novel, Celie was a 14 years old girl who had no one to support or empower her. Her mother was not a good role model for her. She only had her sister who tried to empower her. She used to say don’t call yourself ugly or dumb. Celie finds herself a community that helps her become an independent and a strong woman. We see how relationship between Celie and other women like Shug and Sofia provides a sense of safety, power and empathy. Their relationship shows how can resilience be found within these relationships. For example, when Shug and Celie first met, Celie was extremely submissive and passive but as Shag came and taught her to stand up for her rights, she changed. Celie was also inspired by Sofia’s standing out for her and fighting back with Harpo. It was a relationship that is outside from traditional relationships in which man gets beaten by woman. We see a solidarity between Sophia and Celie, two women living in the same house. We also see how relationship between Shug, Celie and Squeak who is the second wife of Harpo, inspired Squeak. She decided that she wants to be called by her own name, Mary Agnes, as their relationship improved with other women around her and inspired her, and left Harpo for a better cause, her singing carrier. We also see how she stood out for Sophia, who knocked out Squeak teeth when she saw her with Harpo. Even though these things happened, she decided to go to the prison and helped Sophia to be released though it didn’t work and she was raped. We constantly see how these women stand out for each other and help each other become more aware and awaken. We also witness sisterhood among women in Africa who share one husband. They work together, they talk, make jokes and they all get along despite the crushing patriarchy around them.

Education, awareness and financial liberation are another things that can also challenge gender-based violence. We see how aware Nettie of her self-worth. She is educated and goes for a missionary work to Africa, she becomes a teacher and she educates children on women’s rights and their worths. We see how she tries to make Tashi an educated, slef-aware girl though Tashi’s father opposes who thinks she must be cared by her family and later by her husband, emposing very rigid gender roles. We see how a woman can be independent and make her own choices if she is aware of herself, her surroundings and educated like Celie. Shug is a characther that has her own profession, she makes her own money, in this sense, she doesn’t need anybody, so even if her partner is a wife-beater or someone that she realizes she doesn’t love, she can walk away easily. She inspires Mary Agnes and Celie to have their financial indepence, Mary becomes a singer and later Celie starts her own business in which she finds self expression and happiness. She finally becomes a self sufficient and fulfilled woman who needs no men to live with.

I think another solution might be self-journey and embracing our own culture. We see how constantly Celie comes accross with the issue of race throughout her journey and how Nettie’s letters explain how complicated and different the issue of race is than they thought. Through Nettie’s letters, Celie sees how universal it is that women goes through, as she tells her about women mutilation, polygamy and violence against women that she witnesses in the African Olinka tribe. Olinka tribe doesn’t want their daughters to be educated just as Americans didn’t want African-Americans to be educated. In this sense, being aware of all these things, and still being able to appreciate ones own culture becomes very important.

This is a highly inspiring novel that explores a lot of important global and contemporary issues though it was written in 1982. It won 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and National Book Award Fiction. I highly recommend you to read this novel which you won’t regret reading and wont be able to forget for a long time. It also has a movie version which was released in 2023 starring Oprah Winfrey and Whoopi Goldberg.